Midsouth Entomologist
Abstract
The tarnished plant bug, Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois), has emerged as the major insect pest of cotton in the mid-southern United States following the eradication of the boll weevil and the introduction of genetically modified Bt cotton for caterpillar pests. The objective of this study is to evaluate tarnished plant bug resistance to the five most common insecticides used for control across six distinct growing regions. Glass-vial bioassays were used to evaluate resistance of field populations in a laboratory setting. Elevated levels of resistance of tarnished plant bug to bifenthrin and, to a lesser degree, imidacloprid have been reported in various regions of Alabama when compared to a susceptible lab population. Bifenthrin resistance was found to be high (12 – 13.4-fold resistance levels) in three of the six counties tested in 2023. Populations showed the lowest resistance levels to dicrotophos in 2023 and 2024.There is a limited number of chemical classes available for tarnished plant bug control , therefore further resistance monitoring is necessary to inform management strategies and to slow the development of resistance. This will contribute to the overall goal of establishing and maintaining the most cost efficient and efficacious control programs for tarnished plant bug in Alabama.
Recommended Citation
Douglas, T. J.; Kesheimer, K.; Jacobson, A.; Brown, S.; Musser, F. R.; Catchot, L. S.; and Graham, S. H.
(2025)
"Bioassay to Evaluate Resistance Levels in Tarnished Plant Bug (Hemiptera: Miridae) Populations in Alabama to Common Cotton Insecticides,"
Midsouth Entomologist: Vol. 18:
No.
1, Article 4.
Available at:
https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/midsouthent/vol18/iss1/4